Chapter 224: Found the Origin

Old Zeng came from the backyard to report, “Miss, Uncle Chen and I will be back in the afternoon. The rapeseed is growing well. In another month and a half, we can harvest it. It seems that our 100 mu of land, after deducting the rent for the tenants and taxes, will earn us about sixty to seventy taels of silver.”

Chen Feng smiled, “Good, you’ve worked hard. Go and rest in the house.” She quickly sent someone to invite Mrs. Wang and Chen Ming for dinner.

Chen Feng had the room prepared. Since Yang Chao was injured, he had to sleep under the care of the nursemaid Mama Li, and they stayed in the guest room in the east wing. The two little girls slept with her in the main bedroom, and Chen Dabao slept in the other room.

After the arrangements were made, she took the three children, three birds, and two dogs to the east side of Fengyuan to meet Dabao and Lu.

The children of the Tangyuan servants knew that this was the time when Miss Chen from Fengyuan would come to pick up Dabao with the young miss, so they would come at the same time to play. Even Luo Ming Cheng had come. It was the liveliest time of the day.

Chen Feng loved children and hoped that Chu Hanyan could have more contact with them. Every time they came, she would take out a few pieces of candy from her purse and give it to them.

When Dabao and Lu returned and saw that Yang Chao and Yang Qian had come, as well as all the pets, they were extremely happy and expressed their sympathy for the injured Yang Chao.

Chen Feng pulled Dabao and Lu aside for an on-the-spot education, reminding them not to play too wildly with their peers. If they got injured like Yang Chao, they wouldn’t be able to go to school. She especially instructed Chen Lu to take good care of Dabao.

Chen Lu said, “Don’t worry, Big Sis. Mr. Jiang values Dabao more than anyone else. None of the peers at the private school dares to provoke him.”

Seeing his envious look, Chen Feng playfully tapped his head and said, “Then, as his little uncle, you should take good care of your little nephew and not let those who are unhappy with him bully him.”

Chen Lu nodded in agreement.

When they returned home, not only did Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang come, but even grandma Chen brought Dahua with her.

Chen Ming was very happy and drank quite a bit. Although the output from the 100 mu of land was not particularly high, it excites him more than any other income source.

Grandma Chen smiled, “You look so happy. The output is much lower than the income you get from Prosperous Grand Restaurant.”

Chen Ming laughed, “You can’t put it that way. Although A’Feng respectfully handed the land to me, I also put in effort. And at the restaurant, I didn’t invest anything or put in any effort. No matter how much I earn, it wouldn’t bring me as much joy as the income from the land.” He then turned to Chen Feng, who was sitting at another table with the children, and said, “A’Feng, your shop is short of money, right? When Dad gets the silver at the end of the month, you should take some first.”

Chen Feng smiled, “Thank you, Dad. Tangyuan has also given me six hundred taels for the business, which is enough.”

Grandma Chen was momentarily stunned, she hadn’t heard a single word about this matter. However, she wisely chose not to ask immediately.

After dinner, Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang took the children to play in the backyard, while grandma Chen and Chen Ming returned to Luyuan.

Grandma Chen murmured enviously, “A’Feng is so capable. She has opened another shop. Is it in the town or the county?”

Chen Ming replied, “It’s in Dingzhou Prefecture.”

Grandma Chen clicked her tongue and asked, “What share does your family have?”

Chen Ming frowned and said, “Mother, it’s not possible for me to meddle in every business A’Feng starts. I don’t own a single share.”

Grandma Chen looked at him disapprovingly and scolded, “You’re so foolish. You raised her like your own daughter for so many years. It’s only right for you to have a share.”

Chen Ming became a bit upset and raised his voice, “What are you saying, Mother? I have hands and feet. A’Feng has given me so much already, I can’t ask for everything.” He softened his tone and continued, “I’m in good health now and have some capital. I will earn on my own. I’ve been thinking of opening a shop in town, closer to home for easy management. A’Feng suggested opening it in the county town, where purchasing power is much stronger. It’s not far from home, and I can sell grains and watermelons. In the future, if Fengyuan has some rare goods, I can sell them there too. Once Zeng Shuang finds a suitable shopkeeper for me, I will open the shop.”

Grandma Chen hurriedly said, “Good, good, son is right. You should earn on your own.” She added, “For your shop, do you want your elder brother to invest? Don’t worry, I will ensure that he contributes enough capital.”

Chen Ming shook his head and said, “Mother, you also know Big Sister-in-law’s personality. She caused a lot of trouble at Prosperous Grand Restaurant last time. If she gets involved, no matter how much you give her, she will think it’s not enough, unless you give her everything.”

Grandma Chen cursed under her breath, “That wasteful woman is greedy and lacks restraint. She has caused so much suffering for your eldest brother and A’Gui. My eldest son, poor thing.” She then took Chen Ming’s arm and said, “Second son, I know that because of her, you and thirs son have had a falling out with your eldest brother. But your eldest brother suffered the most hardships and toils when he was young. If it weren’t for him, both you and third son wouldn’t be living such good lives. Now that you all have money, you should show gratitude to your eldest brother.”

In the past, Chen Ming would have readily given Chen Ye a 20% stake. However, the trouble caused by Mrs. Hu at Prosperous Grand Restaurant made him become even more cautious and wary of the main branch. It would be best for him to avoid any economic entanglements with the main branch.

He said, “I have always remembered my brother’s help. Once the shop starts making money, I will definitely honor Mother and thank my brother. In the future, let A’Gui buy more land. If my brother wants to open a shop, I will also lend him money.”

……

In Fengyuan, the steward came to give Chen Feng 600 taels of silver notes, which was the money Tangyuan invested in the Fengyunlai Business.

Chen Feng had only kept a little more than 100 taels of silver, and Zeng Shuang took the rest to open the shop. This amount of silver was only enough to rent a small building as a shop.

Now, with more than 600 taels of silver, and Chen Shiying had also given her a set of valuable headwear, she intended to sell the headwear and some gemstones and jade from the space. These items now had an origin, as they were gifts from Chen Shiying. With the additional money, she could buy a shop in one go.

Thinking about how Chen Shiying would feel if he knew she had sold the headwear he gave her, she couldn’t help but smile mischievously.

She told the steward, “If Tangyuan has someone going to Dingzhou, ask them to help find Zeng Shuang. Tell him not to rush to rent a shop. Let him see if there are any good, larger shops, preferably two stories with a courtyard and side rooms, for around 2,000 taels of silver. If there are, reserve it. In a while, I will make time to go to Dingzhou. Chen Shiying gave me some jewelry, and I will sell them at the jewelry shop.”

Shops for selling agricultural products don’t necessarily have to be at particularly lucrative ports, they just need to be close to areas where wealthy people gather. The shops here aren’t cheap, but they shouldn’t be unreasonably expensive either. With a little over 2,000 taels of silver, she should be able to buy a decent-sized shop. With such a shop, she could not only sell goods, but also use it as a residence and a warehouse.

The steward hesitated and said, “Miss Chen, Tangyuan has some silver in its accounts, and I also have some silver. How about I lend you some silver? You don’t have to sell the jewelry.”

Chen Feng declined, “No, I don’t like wearing those fancy jewelry, and it would be a waste to keep them. It’s better to sell them for cash.”

The steward nodded and said, “Alright, someone will go to Dingzhou tomorrow and ask them to look for Zeng Shuang.”